Early Navajo Pueblitos

 Yesterday, Sheryl and I went out in search of some early Navajo Pueblitos (small above ground masonry structures) out on BLM backroads. These Pueblitos date to the late 1600s to early 1700s. Most were built on cliff tops and took some hiking and scrambling to reach.

 This Pueblito had four rooms with the only entrance being from the roof top. The roof of this one is over 300 years old, hard to believe when a little wind storm destroys todays modern roofs!!!

 This Pueblito know as the Hooded Fireplace Ruin, for the unusual fireplace and dated to 1723.

Perched up on the cliffs helped keep them safe and easy to defend against the raiding Ute tribes from the north.

Sheryl spotted many pieces of broken pottery around each site. (yes, they were placed right back where there were found)

Some even built up on large boulders for max protection.

Should you be in the area and want to see out these, the arches and or the petroglyphs, remember these are located deep in BLM land and a high clearance 4x4 vehicle is required.

Our time here in Aztec has come to an end, we'll be heading to Monument Valley in northen Arizona/southern Utah tomorrow. Don't know if we'll have much in the way of internet access for the next few days, so check back and see if were here.

Aztec's Arches

 One thing Aztec New Mexico is known for is the number of rock and sandstone arches within it's vicinity. There are 220 plus arches, with most located deep in BLM land. The city publishes a pamphlet on a few of the larger ones, so Sheryl and I stuck out to find some. We found however that even though The BLM maintains the land, they don't really maintain the roads, so once again thank goodness we have a Jeep!!!

 I won't bore you with the names of each arch but they are located within fifteen miles of town.

 Even with fairly detailed directions to each, they can still be a challenge to find.

We didn't go out for a whole day, just went out every couple of days to a different area.

We had some good adventures and it helped kill some time, plus they were just really cool to see. Now I'm sure they have nothing on Arches NP, but they are still fun to find and see.
So, should you be passing through this part of New Mexico, stop by the Visitor Center, pick up a pamphlet and go hunt some down.

Thanks for following along and we'll see you back here again.

Shiprock Pinnacle, NW New Mexico

 Yesterday afternoon we headed out to see and photograph Shiprock Pinnacle. This landmark named for it's ships sail like shape rises 1600 feet above the desert floor approx. 40 miles west of Farmington, NM. The pinnacle is actually the harden core of an ancient volcano in which the outer mountain has eroded away leaving the harden magma in place.

 There are also two exposed lava tubes, now walls, extending to the south (shown) and to the west, each about a mile or so long. These walls are only about 10 feet thick and rise a couple of hundred feet above the desert floor as they approach the pinnacle.

Last of the evening light.

This is one of many unique sights contained with in the Navajo Nation. Unfortunately we will only get to visit a couple of these during this years visit, the next being Monument Valley.

We'll be passing by Shiprock again on Friday as we head west, however I wanted to get some shots of the unique landmark in the evening light. Hope you enjoy them.

Thanks for coming along on this latest adventure and we'll see you back here again soon.

Crow Canyon Petroglyph Site

 Yesterday we went in search of early Navajo petroglyphs. We had searched for some a day or two before in a more accessible area but found they had all been destroyed by vandals. This time we contacted the local BLM Office and was told of a well preserved site well off the beaten track. With this new found knowledge, we were off for quite the adventure in finding them. 20 or so miles of dirt and gravel roads, a muddy river bed crossing and a deep muddy section of two track road, we arrived at our destination.

 The actual road (if that's what you want to call it) ends and your walk begins. As you hike along the pathway you begin to see the petroglyphs along the lower portions of the cliff face.

 There are several panels with many different petroglyphs carved in them.

 Along with several more individual ones.

 Sheryl pointing out a new one she had just found in this tight slot area.

 This is a view of the main petroglyphs area from across the wash. After spending a couple hours discovering the petroglyphs, we headed down the other road to seek out an early Navajo Defensive Position hidden on the mountain side.

 This little gem was hard to spot hidden on the mountain side. This is one of the few remaining sites scattered around a several square mile area.

 The riverbed crossing was still pretty wet and rutted, but packed down enough to cross (one of the reasons we have a 4x4 vehicle).

 Dirt and gravel roads leading in and out of the area.

One lane bridge deep in BLM land.

Another great adventure in the bag. Sheryl really enjoyed seeing and experiencing the petroglyphs, I had seen some before, but this was her first time. It was great to get out and see them in their natural environment rather than in a protected park or museum. We saw hundreds of petroglyphs along the canyon wall and way to many to post here. If you are interested in seeing more, I'll have them posted in our gallery, just click the link on the right side of the page.

Thanks again for coming along on this adventure with us and we'll see you back here again for more.

Aztec New Mexico and the Aztec Ruins.

 We finally left our Colorado mountain retreat descending 2000 feet and 50 miles to Aztec, NM. Not much of a travel day, but we wanted to explore NW New Mexico a bit before moving on westward. One of the sight we wanted to take in was the Aztec Ruins, a 1000 year old native Indian settlement.

 The settlement contained up to 400 separate rooms and some of the structures are 3 stories high.

 One of several Kivas with in the ruins.

 The restored Grand Kiva behind one of the unrestored structures.

 Interior  of the restored Grand Kiva.

 Here you can see some of the decorative architecture of the outer wall.

The monument is very well taken care of and preserved. Not all of it has been excavated and much of it has been left just as it was found. As usual the National Park Service has done a great job.
We are here at the Ruins Road RV Park in Aztec NM. Aztec is a small town 30 or so miles south of the Colorado border in NW New Mexico. It's a nice little town with lots of interesting areas to explore so we decided to stay here for another week.
We'll be exploring ancient petroglyph sites, sandstone arches, interesting wilderness areas with a little off road exploration thrown in for fun. So stay tuned and we'll see you next time!!!